Back to School Basics
First off, don’t expect your kids to jump in with both feet and be off to a roaring start when school starts. It’s tough to have the summer of fun and games and just switch tracks to having the homework and other things with school and not as much time on their hands. Try giving them a break for the first few weeks until they get back into the swing of things, and yourself too. If that means letting the house work choirs slide a little then so be it, something you have to understand is they are a year older and will probably get more school work than last year. That means more for them to do and less for the other stuff, this can be tough, especially on young kids.
One thing you can do is help them along, with house and school work. If this means adjusting the day for them a little then that can be done. Things like when they get home, let them unwind for a half hour and relax, then start in on the home work. Then after dinner let them tackle the choirs, when all the home work is done of course. You can’t let the school work slide but the house work can be caught up on later. My sons have found that they have more homework then they did last year, and most others will probably find this out too. Help them realize that they need to adjust their schedule to deal with this extra load and still find time for all the things they need to get done.
A schedule may be necessary for them or even a chart to help them get things done, they can check off the top things they have to get done and it helps them remember all the stuff they need to do. Even if they don’t need a chart it can help them to have a schedule on a calender to help them remember important dates and times of things, schools usually give out calendars and you can use these to jot down things your child needs to do. That’s one thing that they can get help with is organizing their day. Help them come up with a plan for their day to get all they need to done, and whatever time is left over is for them to do things for fun.
Some things that may come in handy is after school study programs and homework classes that help kids with their homework or if they need that little extra help and you don’t have the time. Most schools offer great after school programs for kids that need help or if you can;t get home yourself to help them with their home work. If your kid starts to struggle with school work, let them know now that it’s all right to find it difficult and they can ask for help. They can get help from school or other places before it starts to be a problem with them getting behind. Ask the school if they have any suggestions if your child needs some extra help.
Other sources of help can be websites for help in how to study and other things like special help in certain subjects. Your school probably has a list of web sites if not their own with places to find help on the Internet. One great place is here: http://www.brainpop.com/ It is Brain Pop and is a great resource for kids, parents and teachers, many schools use it or suggest it for help in all kinds of school related things.
Your kids may find that going back to school is a little harder than they thought it would be, do not discourage them, try to be supportive and help them. Many times they can get the help they need at the school itself or from someone the school recommends. Or find help for them, many places such as Sylvan Learning Centers have help available and can get your child what they need for tutors or school help. Try here if you think your child needs some extra help, http://www.educate.com/homepage.cfm?CFID=12091855&CFTOKEN=17262041 .
If getting back to school is hard on you, try getting a break yourself. The kids are not the only ones that have to adjust with getting back into the grind. Try readjusting your schedule for a bit as well as the kids. Take an extra nap if things get out of hand and you can’t keep up. The work will get done but not if your falling asleep doing it. As your children grow they will be getting into more activities and other things after school and you will probably be having to run them around more.
Get with some others in these groups or activities to see if any live nearby and you can car pool the kids for easier times on all the families, this gets to be such a benefit for more than just you. If you find others with similar interests as your kids, maybe they can join other activities together and make your jobs easier by having that many less trips by both families to these activities. You can also start seeing abut your child using public transportation if it’s available. The children are getting older and have to start deciding on their own about things and being more self sufficient.
You can make your job easier with your kids by helping them do better at school, if they do better they will be happier. And you will be happier.
